


Rings, Riddles and Revenge

by evakuality



Series: tumblr dialogue prompts [9]
Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Future Fic, M/M, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-09-19 01:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20322793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evakuality/pseuds/evakuality
Summary: Matteo frowns at the man on the other side of the gleaming counter.  It’s glittering under the bright lights and pale walls of the store, but Matteo’s attention isn’t on the luxury of his surroundings.  It’s on the outrageousness of what the man told him.“Excuse me?  What did you just say?”Matteo can hear the panic bleeding into his voice and grimaces in frustration; this is not the way to go about questioning the veracity of the statement.  Confirming Matteo’s suspicions that he’s being slightly unreasonable, and with a patient, well-worn retail smile on his face, the man calmly repeats,“the diamond in your engagement ring is fake.”Aka, the tumblr dialogue prompt fic that got away from me and will now have 5 (or possibly 6) chapters of prompty fun times.





	1. “The diamond in your engagement ring is fake.”

_ Matteo _

Matteo frowns at the man on the other side of the gleaming counter. It’s glittering under the bright lights and pale walls of the store, but Matteo’s attention isn’t on the luxury of his surroundings. It’s on the outrageousness of what the man told him. 

“Excuse me? What did you just say?”

Matteo can hear the panic bleeding into his voice and grimaces in frustration; this is not the way to go about questioning the veracity of the statement. Confirming Matteo’s suspicions that he’s being slightly unreasonable, and with a patient, well-worn retail smile on his face, the man calmly repeats,“the diamond in your engagement ring is fake.”

This time Matteo shakes his head, not really willing to let those words sink in and take up residence in his brain. That can’t actually be true. His father was adamant about it; this was his great aunt’s ring and she was very proud of its provenance. How many times has he heard the story of how it had belonged to a wealthy landowner who’d gifted it to their family a century or so ago? How many times had he endured the smug pride in his father’s voice as he regaled them with the tale of how it’s been passed down ever since from oldest son to oldest son until here it sits in Matteo’s possession? 

“That’s not possible,” he insists; if there’s one thing he knows for sure, it’s that his father would never pass off a fake as genuine. There’s no way his pride could stand _ that. _ The man’s smile wears a little thinner, a little more brittle. Like he’s expecting a battle, he squares his shoulders, tilts his chin up and looks Matteo directly in the eye. It’s only then that Matteo notices the gleam of a piercing in his nose and he frowns. That’s not the sort of accessory he’d usually expect from an employee in a shop like this one. The place reeks of wealth and luxury, all prim and proper and leaving no room for self expression. He can’t deny it’s attractive on this guy, though, which is a completely unwelcome thought right now and Matteo attempts to shake it off and focus on what he’s being told.

“I’m very sorry, sir, but that’s what our experts have written down here.” 

The man pushes a formal, and expensive-looking, piece of paper towards Matteo who squints at it as if he has a hope in hell of understanding the jargon cluttering up the creamy page. The man points to a line towards the bottom, and despite not being able to understand the rest of the writing, Matteo finds he can read that part just fine. _ Very convincing copy. _ He winces.

“Shit.”

The man reaches out again to take the paper, and Matteo can’t help but notice how attractive his hands are as he picks it up to examine it. The tendons flex under his skin and Matteo’s eyes are drawn right to them. Then there’s the scent of some sort of perfumey thing the guy is wearing. Soap, maybe. Or shampoo. Something fresh and clean and masculine. Something that catches in Matteo’s chest in a way that never happens with girls. He can’t allow himself to focus on that, though, shakes this newly intrusive idea off. Or tries to. His eyes are caught again as the man places the paper carefully down on the counter once more and slides it in Matteo’s direction.

Matteo’s disappointment is sharp and acute; that ring was supposed to be his salvation, as dramatic as that might seem, and yet it’s impossible not to notice this guy even in the midst of this very small but very real crisis. He glances up, wanting to catch one final glimpse of the warm brown of his eyes before he has to leave, and is startled to see knowing amusement in their expression. He flushes, breaks eye contact, scoops the offending ring in its worn old box into his pocket along with the creamy paper and its damning words, and turns to leave before he feels a gentle touch on his arm halting his progress.

“I am sorry, sir. If it’s any consolation, it’s so old it probably has value even as a fake.”

The voice still holds the well-worn conciliatory tone of the consummate retail assistant, but when Matteo looks up, the eyes that hold his own are warm and kind. A flash of hope blooms in his chest, but it’s gone almost as soon as it comes. Selling off a fake isn’t going to have the same sort of flair as selling off his father’s priceless treasured heirloom. And anyway, a fake, no matter how old, isn’t likely to generate the sort of money he needs. 

Grimacing, Matteo smiles, a small ugly twist of his lips that makes the man lean backwards and drop the hand that was still lingering on Matteo’s arm. 

“That’s … uh, good to know,” Matteo says, knowing he’s not convincing. Knowing he’s making a complete dick of himself over something trivial. His eyes flicker up to the man’s again, catching sympathy before his face steels back into his customer service mask and the moment is lost. Matteo nods, once, feeling ridiculous but wanting to acknowledge the guy’s kindness somehow before he walks away, even if that’s just with something as small and insignificant as a nod of appreciation.

_ David _

David watches the man as he disappears into the distance, his slim figure twisting to avoid another customer entering as he exits. He hovers on the spot, looking like all he wants to do is take immediate flight out of the place. He seems anxious and out of sorts, in a way that suggests this is more than just a minor cash flow issue. David watches as the guy runs one hand through the mop of hair as he waits for the woman to move past him, leaving blond wisps covering his eyes, the messy, fine hair looking no less intrusive over those eyes than it did before. It looks, in fact, like this is a habit, one that’s not designed to get his hair out of his face at all. It’s unfairly endearing. He seems to look behind him towards David once more as if he senses the thought, and his lips quirk in a tiny smile as he finally darts around the woman’s retreating back and leaves the store. 

It sucked, having to tell him the news. It’s never been one of David’s favorite jobs, and today was even harder. There was something in the man’s eyes that suggested this was more than the usual rich prick finding out that a family treasure isn’t worth as much as they’d always believed. They’re usually assholes when he tells them, those guys; yelling and demanding to see the manager, suggesting some sort of nefarious activity from the jewellers. But this guy just looked defeated, and David hadn’t been able to resist making the suggestion that he could still get some money for the ring even though it’s fake. There’d been one small spark of something in the guy’s eyes at that, but the despair was back so quickly it was possible David had even imagined that part.

He sighs and goes on with the rest of his day, most other customers the usual giddy newly-engaged couple or older woman looking for something new to stave of her boredom. His mind wanders so much that he knows he’s not as effective as he should be, knows his boss is going to question his numbers today. But he can’t keep his thoughts away from the air of melancholy the guy had, and the way his shoulders had slumped in defeat when he’d realized his dreams had crashed down on him.

David wishes he had some way to contact Engagement Ring Man, as he’s taken to calling him inside his head, to reiterate the idea of selling the ring in the right places for some sort of decent price. In the right hands, he is fairly certain the guy will be able to get good money for it. And he’s almost certain that Engagement Ring Man wasn’t intending to use it for an engagement, or not his own anyway. He didn’t have the air about him, and anyway no engaged guy would have looked at David the way he did, with hot eyes and flushed cheeks. Or not one who actually cared enough to be disappointed when his ring didn’t end up being as valuable as he’d imagined. That only makes the mystery of what he really wanted to do with the ring even more intriguing. 

So David curses himself for not looking more carefully at the name before the man slipped the paper off the counter and stuffed it in his pocket with the now-not-so-precious ring. It might have started with an M or an N and had a vaguely Italian sound, but David can’t recall anything else. Which is _ frustrating. _ He may not be supposed to flirt with customers, but there are no rules about coincidentally running into them outside of work. 

He groans when the thought flickers into his mind. Maybe it’s good that he didn’t notice the name properly, because that’s probably a little stalkerish and probably more than a little off putting if he actually did manage to find the guy somehow outside of this shop. What David should do is just accept it for what it is: a chance meeting with a gorgeous man, one that brightened his day for a moment. And that’s all.

He shakes his head, pushes Engagement Ring Man out of his mind since he’s missed his chance and isn’t intending to become a stalker in his spare time anyway, and turns to the customers standing in front of him, their eyes lit up as they stare at the array of rings laid out before them.

“This one is lovely,” David says, tapping a gorgeous diamond in the middle of the group, seeing the way the woman’s eyes linger over it while the man is focused on the cheaper rings at the other end of the display. He knows he’s hit the jackpot when the woman’s smile glows and she tilts her head the way people do when they really want something. He knows he has this one sold, knows the guy will come around; it’s just a matter of time. Engagement Ring Man and his disappointment (and his beautiful smile and fucking stupidly attractive hair) are forced back into the distance in favor of the requirements of this new challenge. David needs to get his numbers back up, and constantly thinking about Engagement Ring Man isn’t going to help with that at all.


	2. “How could I ever forget about you?”

_ David _

The genteel tinkle of the store’s bell as the door opens is the only alert David has. Since this is such a regular occurrence, usually he barely gives it another thought. Lets the customers approach the counter and start the process of falling in love with their wares before he even acknowledges that the bell had rung. So why it’s different this time, David has no idea. But he does look up, for once. And he does see the breathtaking Engagement Ring Man again. And it does stop him in his tracks briefly, his practiced patter stuttering to a halt for a moment before he recollects himself and focuses back in on the customer in front of him.

That doesn’t stop him from glancing out of the corner of his eyes at Engagement Ring Man as he makes his way into the store. Because he may not have been consciously waiting for the guy to return, but now that’s he’s here David’s body relaxes in a way that lets him know exactly how much attention his subconscious mind has been paying to that one chance meeting not even a week ago.

His last customer smiles and thanks him, moving away from the counter and making her way towards the door. David turns his attention to Engagement Ring Man, drags his usual smile onto his face, sets his posture to his best customer service mask and hopes like hell the guy can’t tell what effect he’s having on David. It’s not made any easier when he looks up, catches David’s eyes on him and his entire body slumps, losing its obvious tension, and his face lights up in what can only be described as relief. 

And that, David thinks, as he watches Engagement Ring Man approach the counter, is enough to make a weaker man than him turn into a puddle. So it’s not exactly a surprise that his own body reacts with a hot flush, or that his voice is slightly breathless when he manages his usual, “good afternoon, sir. How can I help you?”

Engagement Ring Man’s face falls a little, the smile slipping sideways before brightening again into something that is a good approximation of a retail smile. David would probably mistake it as genuine if he wasn’t so practiced at spotting it on other workers.

“I’m … um, I guess you don’t remember,” the guy starts, running his fingers through his hair the same way he did last week and leaving it an artful mess over his eyes again, stilling David’s heart with that one casual motion. “I was in here with a ring on Wednesday…”

He pauses, as if he’s not quite sure how to phrase it, which makes sense.  _ It was a fake and I was sad about that, _ is probably not an easy thing to confess to someone else in this situation, particularly when you might be embarrassed by that fact. Still fascinated by what the guy might need to do with the ring, David takes pity on him, cutting in with another practised phrase.

“Of course I remember, sir. The ring was old and probably quite valuable.”

A grin breaks out over Engagement Ring Man’s face and he shuffles, looks up at David from under his mess of hair. It stills some awkwardly flustered thing in David’s chest and he takes a risk, knowing he’s not supposed to do this but needing to make it clear he remembers more than just a customer in distress.

He adds, “how could I ever forget about you?”

The grin this time is blinding, and the guy flushes, a bright crimson staining his cheeks as if he’s not used to people noticing him, as if the mere mention that David might have remembered  _ him _ and not just his query is something foreign. The guy coughs, looks away for a moment, clearly gathers himself together with a muttered encouragement under his breath, and then he lets that breath out slowly and carefully. It’s only then that he glances back at David.

“I was wondering if you maybe knew somewhere I could get it properly valued as a fake,” he asks quietly, glancing around to be sure the other people in the store don’t hear him. “It’s just, we need some money and even that much might be enough. But …”

David nods. He understands, even if that ‘we’ tears at his chest. Of course this guy has a ‘we’ of some sort. He shakes himself out of his disappointment. It’s not something most people would have easy access to, after all, a knowledge of antique buyers and sellers who might give a fair deal on something like that ring. 

“My … uh, my mother and I. She needs some money,” Engagement Ring Man says, softly, as if he has seen and understood David’s sting of disappointment at his words. Smiling, David lets his breath out, relieved. He tries to tell himself that it’s just because the guy came back and David can actually help him this time. But he knows it’s at least partly because the blue of Engagement Ring Man eyes have haunted him, and the way the hair falls into his eyes has whispered in his heart even without him consciously knowing, and he wants to spend more time with this guy. Hearing that the ‘we’ in his life is a mother is more of a relief than it has any right to be.

“Of course,” David says warmly. Far more warmly than he strictly should. This doesn’t fit the persona of the store at all, the aloof, slightly distanced glamor the owners try desperately to maintain. “If you’d like to come down to this end of the counter, I can get some contact details for you.”

It’s not really necessary for David to move him like this; he could go find the details by himself, but he wants at least the illusion of privacy as he talks to the guy and this seems like too good an opportunity to ignore.

_ Matteo _

It had taken a lot for Matteo to come in here today. He knew he was only going to be able to make the request if Piercing Guy was there; he was the one who had made the suggestion after all, so he’s the one who’s most likely to know how to help. And it’s probably not going to do any good, but Matteo is willing to try anything at this stage. If that happens to mean he might bump into Piercing Guy again and get to see his stupidly attractive face again, well that’s just what you might call a perk of the somewhat uncomfortable process.

He’s here, Piercing Guy is here, and Matteo instantly feels the relief of knowing he can ask what he needs to ask. For a terrible moment, though, it seemed like he hadn’t remembered Matteo at all, but then his face had softened and he smiled as he said, “how could I ever forget about you?” in the gentlest voice Matteo has ever heard. And Matteo almost can’t get the words of his request out because he’s so flustered. It’s not like him to be so unnerved by someone, even when that someone is the cutest guy Matteo has ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on, with his curly dark hair and liquid eyes. And the piercing that had starred in more than one of Matteo’s day dreams since they last met.

Then he’s drawn away to the far end of the counter, and the guy is shuffling around on the ground behind it, sifting through a pile of papers that looks far too messy and haphazard to belong in a place like this. Feeling bold, leaning over the counter so he can keep an eye on what’s happening, Matteo laughs. 

“That doesn’t look smart enough for a store like this,” he says, nodding at the pile of papers the guy has just shoved to one side. From his spot kneeling on the floor, the guy looks up at Matteo and rolls his eyes.

“There’s never any time to keep tidy piles,” he says, pulling another clump of papers out and riffling through this one at speed. He grins up at Matteo again. “And we only need to look glamorous and flashy out there in the bits the customers get to see.”

“I’m seeing the unglamorous stuff right now,” Matteo points out, knowing there’s a cheeky grin on his face. Sees the way the guy’s eyes light up in amusement as he looks up at Matteo.

“You’re being nosy and intrusive is what you’re doing,” he says, making a cold shame flood Matteo’s body.  _ Did _ he go too far? But then the guy winks as he refocuses on the papers in his hands, and Matteo relaxes. It’s just banter, then. Silly comebacks to a ridiculous conversation.

Matteo is fascinated by his hands as they shuffle through the pages one by one. Sure and sturdy, they move with a grace and an elegance even while their owner curses softly under his breath when he doesn’t find what he wants.

“Shit,” Piercing Guy mutters so quietly that Matteo doesn’t think he was supposed to hear. He stands up so quickly that Matteo doesn’t have time to move back before he’s right in front of him and with the way Matteo’s been leaning forward, their faces are close. He can see every strand of Piercing Guy’s eyelashes, thick and lush with the color a mixture of browns mingling together like strokes on a masterpiece of art. 

The guy blinks in startled awareness of their proximity, something flashes in his eyes, and Matteo has to suck in a steadying breath as he pushes back off from the counter. He’s flushing, can feel the heat in his cheeks and the pounding of his heart. The guy’s eyes had bored into Matteo’s, framed by those perfect lashes, and Matteo isn’t sure he’ll ever be steady on his feet again.

The guy’s facade has slipped completely now; there’s no remnant of the perfect customer service employee in his face or his body anymore, and he looks genuinely upset when he speaks again. His hand ruffles his hair, pulling the strands into a disarray that sets something else new and terrifyingly electric into Matteo’s heart.

“I can’t find the contact details,” he says. “But … maybe I can get your number?”

Matteo gapes at him. Blinks. Opens his mouth to say something, to ask why on earth this sudden request of an almost-total stranger, when the guys blushes himself. His cheeks bloom rosy with shame when he obviously realizes what he’s implied. “Oh. Um. You know … for … for when I do find them. The details. To send you the contacts.”

“Oh. Right. Yes,” Matteo mumbles, kicking himself for assuming. Remembering that they’re in a store and that the employee of the store, however attractive, isn’t going to be going around asking for random guys’ phone numbers for no real reason.

He jots the number down on a piece of paper Piercing Guy hands him, noting in passing that it’s not at all like the creamy, formal, expensive piece from last week. This one looks like it’s been torn from a notebook. He thinks about saying something, making a joke out of it, but he’s spooked. The banter earlier was a bit too easy to fall into, the proximity as the guy had stood up too electrifying, and Matteo has to keep his distance. Falling for some guy in a shop just because he’s good at his job is exactly the sort of dumbass thing Matteo would do, but it’s also exactly the sort of dumbass thing he’s trying hard to avoid.

He pushes the paper back across the counter towards Piercing Guy, who looks down at it and smiles. “Matteo,” he mutters almost under his breath, then looks up and holds his hand out. “I’m David.”

Startled, Matteo takes the hand that’s being offered. It’s warm, smooth. The grip is firm and capable and Matteo tries hard not to let the guy see how much he’s affected just by this brief touch. The guy clears his throat and Matteo drops his hand quickly, realizing that he’s held on a little too long. The brown eyes when he looks back into them are once again filled with amusement.

“David. Hi. I’m Matteo.”

“I know,” David says, smirking at him, and Matteo can feel the heat in his cheeks increasing even more. 

Another customer moves in beside Matteo, and Piercing Guy …  _ David, _ nods, his customer service face falling swiftly back into place and leaving behind it no hint of the ease he’s had in the last few minutes.

“I’ll message you when I have the details you need, sir,” he says. Matteo nods in his own turns and makes his way back out of the store. He’s not entirely sure what just happened, but he is sure he’s treading a dangerous path and that he should avoid returning at all costs. 

But that doesn’t mean he’s not looking forward to receiving a text.


	3. “Flea markets don’t carry fleas, you know?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, while reading over what I have for this, I realised that I didn't like the transition from chapter 4 into the final one because it felt too rushed and some things weren't resolved. So I am adding an extra chapter. On the plus side, this means you all get an extra chapter out of this. On the minus side, it means I have to rearrange a lot of chapter 4 (and write an entire new chapter 5) and so I'm not sure how quickly these next two will be here. Still, it won't be toooo long I hope. And in the meantime, enjoy this one :D

_ Matteo _

Despite knowing that he can’t expect any sort of message immediately, Matteo is still disappointed when his phone doesn’t light with a text any time during the rest of the afternoon. The desire for contact itches under his skin and behind his eyes all day, his phone in his hand every few minutes without his conscious thought. That little habit stretches into the middle of the next afternoon while he’s listlessly carrying out some errands his mother has asked him to do for her.

When he notices himself doing it, Matteo makes a disgruntled noise. It was just a damn interaction over a piece of jewellery.  _ Fake _ jewellery, no less. David was doing his job, being professional, helping out a customer. If his perfect retail persona had slipped for a few minutes, that didn’t mean anything. And here’s the proof. No text, because he clearly hasn’t found the details yet. And with no details, David doesn’t want to contact Matteo at all. Matteo sighs. Runs his fingers through his hair. 

His pocket vibrates, and his phone is in his hand again on instinct, drawn there by the mere chance that it could be David. He’s fucked, Matteo realizes. Just the idea of David being on the other end of a piece of communication is enough to have this joy buzzing under his skin. He can’t keep the grin off his face, bites his lip to try to keep it in check but knows he’s giving himself away to anyone who might happen to be watching him.

_ I can’t find the details I need, _ the text reads, and Matteo’s heart plummets to his shoes. He can’t quite tell if the cold wash of disappointment that floods his body is from realizing he isn’t going to be able to sell the ring or if it comes from sadness that David is only contacting him to give him the bad news. He shakes his head in irritation at his foolishness.

_ That’s okay, _ he sends back.  _ Thank you for trying. _

_ Do you know that flea market near the river? _

Matteo frowns at the message. It makes no sense at all, a non sequitur. Confusing and disorientating. He can’t help the way his heart beats a little faster at the thought that sneaks into his mind that maybe David wants to see  _ him _ again as much as Matteo wants to see David. His mind keeps returning to the way David had looked at him in that one tiny moment when they were so close before Matteo had practically run out of the store to avoid embarrassing himself further. A small part of him, ever hopeful, helpfully suggests that it might mean  _ something. _

_ There’s a place near there that could help. With the ring, _ David sends before Matteo breaks out of his confusion enough to answer.  _ I could meet you there and take you over to it. _

Oh.

David still just wants to be a helpful retail worker, then. Matteo swallows down the sad lump that rises in his throat as he internally snaps at that asshole part of him which keeps getting his hopes up. David offering to do this is good. This helps and it’s _ good. _

_ Thank you, _ Matteo responds.  _ When can we meet? _

He sends it before he realizes just how desperate it sounds and flushes, despite being alone. He really doesn’t need David to know either how much Matteo needs the money or how much he would like to see him again. This sort of thing is exactly what he was warning himself about when he told himself firmly that he shouldn’t visit the store again.

_ I finish in an hour. So maybe at 16.30? _

Like a rollercoaster, Matteo’s emotions are flung around again. David wants to meet again. Today. Not just today, but as soon as he can today. That’s got to mean something, right? Something other than just perfect customer service. Matteo smiles at his phone, a giddy rush of adrenaline hitting him. This is dumb, he thinks, but it’s not enough to push the smile off his face. 

Even if this is just for a utilitarian reason, he gets to meet David again. Outside of the rigid confines of the stilted luxury of his workplace, too. The mere idea of seeing those eyes, the sure and sexy hands, the piercing that’s been haunting his dreams the last few days, is enough to set butterflies off in his stomach. He’s just like a stupid teenager with a crush, Matteo realizes. Exactly the way he was when he had a hopeless crush on Jonas and read too deeply into every interaction.

Still. This feels different, too. This feels like there’s maybe something in David’s eyes that’s heated and interested. The helpless pained longing for Jonas isn’t here this time. Partly because this feeling is so new and isn’t dragging any baggage behind it, and partly because the way David looks at Matteo is promising in a way that Jonas never was. David’s eyes had lingered, and his body had appeared affected, nervous, in a way that Matteo hasn’t often had people seem when they look at him. 

It’s not a date. Matteo knows this, knows David is probably just being nice. And yet, he can’t help the flustered, delighted joy that swamps him, or the frisson that runs through his body, when he realizes that he gets to talk to him again. And soon.

He checks his phone again, his eyes lingering over the last message even as he takes in the time and calculates how long the rest of his errands will take and how likely he is to make it to the market on time.

_ Sounds good, _ he replies to David’s text finally, trying hard not to look too eager, trying not to look as desperate as he really is. He smiles at the thumbs up he gets in return and turns back to his jobs. Suddenly they don’t seem as dull as they did just a few minutes ago, and Matteo is humming as he pulls his mother’s list from his pocket and hurries his steps just a little more than before.   
  


_ David _

He doesn’t notice that he’s holding his breath until he gets the message back from Matteo accepting his offer to meet, and an ugly relieved gasp bursts from his lips. He flushes, glances around to see if anyone has noticed. Thankfully, his coworker is hard at work, deep in conversation with a young couple with big eyes and earnest expressions. David refocuses. Less than an hour before he can leave. Then less than half an hour before he can meet up with Matteo again. 

The time drags, his last customer infuriatingly slow and indecisive and bouncing between one fabulous piece that would boost David’s numbers beautifully and one that’s much less impressive. In the end, the man sighs and buys the cheaper necklace. It’s several minutes after the time when David was supposed to leave to see Matteo and he doesn’t even have a good sale to show for it.

“Thank you,” he says, smiling through gritted teeth at the man who is slowly putting his things back into his bag and pockets, arranging and rearranging them until he’s satisfied. “I’m sure she will love it.”

As soon as the man has turned to walk out, David rushes to the back of the store, grabs his things and yells his goodbyes to his coworker as he practically runs out the door. Thankfully, there are no customers around, so David doesn’t get the disapproving stare from the more rule abiding staff members. Instead, he gets a fond smile and a cheerful wave. It’s a good sign, he thinks. Today, despite the shittiness of the customer he just served, he feels on top of the world, even more so as he pushes himself faster so he can get to the market on time.

He’s panting when he arrives, a few minutes late and with his heart pounding in his chest. Partly from the run, but at least partly because he’s about to see Matteo again. Somewhere a little more freeing than the stilted confines of his store. It’s crowded in the market, which David hadn’t really considered well when he suggested this as a meeting place. It’s not going to be easy to find Matteo in this melee, and David is kicking himself for the stupid romantic impulse that made him consider this a good spot to be together rather than a more conventional cafe of some type.

He scans the crowds, unsure where to even start his attempt to find Matteo. It’s so big, and noisy. Filled with people and things … and he really wishes he’d had the forethought to give a better spot to meet than just ‘that flea market’ because as it is time is ticking by and Matteo could be anywhere.

“Flea markets don’t carry fleas, you know?” a voice says in his ear and David starts, panic swamping him, an icy flood of adrenaline and nerves. He spins only to be replaced with a warm rush of relief when he sees Matteo’s grinning face close to his own.

“You’re an asshole,” David says, but he can hear the traitorous fondness in his voice. 

Matteo gives him a weird look. “Is that the way you talk to all your customers?” he asks

David laughs and spreads his arms wide to indicate the spaces around them. “You’re not a customer here,” he says. “Do you see any shitty jewellery around here?” he asks. 

“Yes, over there.” Matteo points in the direction of a nearby stall which is selling something leather and handmade.

“Funny,” David says, incapable of keeping the smile off his face, and noticing with a warmth that spreads quickly through his chest that Matteo is also smiling back at him. In a way that David is almost sure isn’t just gratitude for help with his ring. Which turns his attention towards what they’re ostensibly here for. “Can I ask you something?” he says carefully, checking to see if Matteo is offended by the question.

Matteo doesn’t look offended, exactly, but he does seem wary, with his eyes flickering towards David and his lip chewed in between his teeth. He nods, with one quick look at David, who makes sure he’s smiling as naturally as he can.

“Why … what makes you want to sell the ring?” he asks, and is baffled when Matteo’s shoulders slump in what looks like relief even while his body tenses and he looks away.

“My mother … she’s not well. And she needs some money for some treatment. Expensive treatment that we can’t afford.”

“Ah,” David says, nodding. The riddle of why Matteo wanted to sell is answered, both more mundane and more sad than David had expected. It makes sense now why Matteo would have been so caught up in how much the ring would sell for. 

Matteo’s answer had seemed like a definitive statement, his mother’s requirements something that just  _ was, _ so David’s a little surprised when Matteo speaks again with a bitter tone to his voice, one that he’s not sure he’d have expected from Matteo even though he barely knows the guy.

“My dad fucked off and left us when I was seventeen. And … well, the ring was his. So it was going to be this big ‘fuck you’ to him, selling his prized heirloom. Except …”

“Except it’s not what you thought it was.” David nods again. It really does make a lot of sense out of all the ways Matteo’s behavior has been slightly different to that of other guys who’ve been valuing rings for sale.

“Yeah.” 

Matteo’s pensive now, his eyes faraway, clearly thinking about the ring and what it means to him if the slightly sour twist to his lips is any indication. 

And this … this isn’t how David had seen the afternoon going when he’d suggested it. So now he’s kicking himself for having suggested the ring thing as a cover, and for bringing it up when they were just starting to relax together here. It’s like he  _ wants _ to sabotage himself.

“So,” he says in his cheeriest voice, trying to distract Matteo from whatever it is that he’s inadvertently dragged up, “what do you want to do first?”

“First?” 

Matteo’s attention snaps to David and he’s suddenly far less melancholy-looking, a bright, almost eager bloom appearing on his cheeks and in his eyes, a bloom which makes David’s chest pool with something soft and warm.

“Well …” David says, “we could look around here for a bit, you know, make the most of our time at the market. Or we could do your ring thing.” He grins at Matteo, lets his eyes brighten and his expression soften. “And then we could come back to the market in the evening, when it’s all lit up.”

Matteo swallows, his throat making a really distracting column as he tilts his head up in thought. His eyes shift to David’s and a small smile flickers onto his lips before disappearing almost as quickly.

“I … like the lights,” he says quietly. His gaze remains firm and steadfast on David’s, and butterflies suddenly take flight in his stomach, gently swooping. “So … uh, we should do the ring first, maybe.”

Matteo’s voice is impossibly soft, and David can feel the stupid butterflies getting faster now, swarnimg en mass in his stomach. He’s not quite brave enough to clarify, to make sure Matteo truly understands that he wants this to be a date. But he thinks Matteo might have got that. The way his voice hesitated a little as he said he likes lights and the way his eyes had looked, dark and purposeful, when he’d said they should do the ring first … well, David sure hopes it means what he thinks it means.


	4. “I’d kill for a coffee…literally.”

_ David _

There’s a weird lingering tension in the air between them as David leads Matteo in the direction of the store he knows. For all his supposed ability to read people, the one Laura sometimes jokingly refers to as his ‘super power,’ David can’t figure out why it’s hanging there. Is Matteo still out of sorts because of the reminder of his father? Is he feeling whatever it is that’s been going on ever since they met, too? Or is he just plain awkward and uncomfortable? David wishes he could pry that head open and look inside.

Instead he’s just treated to more of the nervous hand-through-the-hair Matteo seems to always do whenever he’s not completely at ease. David envies the way he can do that and leave it looking as artfully messed up (and unfairly attractive) as it always looks before he starts fiddling with it. But seeing it, while still making his heart stutter, also makes David’s own anxiety step up. He wishes he knew what it means, what Matteo is thinking.

David speeds his steps, hoping that once they get this ring business over and done with that Matteo may settle a little more. That this date-ish thing they’re doing might crystallize into something beautiful, rather than this opaque series of mostly incomprehensible moments. So it is that it’s not very long before they reach the small store David has chosen.

“Hey, Sonja,” he smiles as they enter. “I have a good one for you today.”

“David.” She grins at him, coming around the counter to drag him into a hug. “I haven’t seen you in months!”

He shrugs, knows he should apologize for the time it’s been, for barging in here as if he expects a warm welcome after months of being gone. Sonja laughs as if she’s read his mind, and in truth she probably has. It’s not like he’s not done this to her before.

“Okay, what is it you have for me?”

David turns to point at Matteo, who’s been hovering awkwardly at the entrance to the tiny store. “My friend here has an old ring he wants to sell. But it’s not as genuine as he’d been led to believe.”

Sonja’s eyes light up, as they always do when he brings her something like this. “Antique?”

“Yeah,” David agrees. “It’s a pretty nice one, actually.”

“Oooh, okay. Let me at it,” she demands, gesturing at Matteo to come closer. He flushes, rummages in his pocket and pulls out the worn ring case David had last seen in the glittering surroundings of his own store. It fits much better here, the rough and faded edges of the leather blending in well with all the well-loved treasures around them as Matteo hands it over into Sonja’s eager hands.

She opens it reverently, eyes gleaming as she takes in the patina of the gold and the beauty of the stones; even fake as they are they’ve been well cut to catch the light and glow as if real. Sonja pulls it out of the velvet it’s nestled in and raises it to the light, turning it side to side as she examines it from every angle.

“You’re right; this is a beauty,” she says, glancing over at David. She turns her attention to Matteo. “It looks like it’s one of the pieces some families would make, copies of their real treasures. This way, they could show off their wealth without chancing the loss of the real thing. It’s very good.” She twists it again, lips pursed. “I can’t give you a certain number right now, of course. But, I think you’d get a really good price for this one with the right buyer.”

“And I could find the right buyer?” Matteo asks, his voice strangled in a way David has never heard it, not even in the first flush of disappointment when he’d been told it was fake.

Sonja nods, thoughtfully. “It’s not always easy,” she says. “It might take some time to ask around and find someone who’d be interested.” She pushes the ring back into its velvet casing and hands it back to Matteo. “Do you want me to do a proper valuation?”

“I’m … I’m not sure,” Matteo says, flushing a little. “I’m sorry for giving you so much trouble. But I need to think about it.”

Sonja smiles, the one she saves for people who she believes are in difficult places. It’s kind and sweet, gentle. David can’t even begin to count the number of times she’s directed that smile at  _ him. _ “It’s no trouble,” she says, sincerity ringing in her voice. “You just come on back if you do decide to get it done.”

There’s a long pause while Matteo stares around him at all the things Sonja so clearly treasures and cares for in her store. “Actually,” Matteo says, flinging the box back down on the counter with a sudden movement. It’s clearly a spur of the moment decision, and one he’s not entirely certain of. “You know what … just do it. It’s just a valuation, right?”

“Yeah,” David agrees, hoping to ease some of the tension that’s still hovering around Matteo. “It’s just a valuation. You still wouldn’t have to sell if it’s not what you need.”

“That’s right,” Sonja says. “There’s no obligation. Just a small cost for the valuation itself.”

Matteo nods, shoves his hands into his pockets while staring at the box, which looks small and overwhelmed on the counter. He lets his breath out and gives one sharp nod of agreement to the terms before turning away. His steps are hurried as he makes his way to the store’s door, as if he’s trying to leave fast enough that he doesn’t think twice about leaving it behind. David’s about to ask him if he’s really sure, when Matteo abruptly stops, looks back at Sonja. “Thank you,” he says. “It means a lot to me.”

She nods as if she, like David, hears the meaning under the words. That the ring and the whole situation means a lot to Matteo not just the valuation itself. He smiles, a small fragile thing that makes David’s heart ache with a small sympathetic melancholy, then leaves the store, the bell over the door tinkling in a cheerful way that’s entirely at odds with the way Matteo is clearly feeling.

David looks at Sonja and shrugs. She grins. “He seems nice,” she says. There’s a wealth of insinuation in her voice and David rolls his eyes at her.

“He’s a customer,” he says.

“Mmmmhmmm, and you always take personal trips to see me with your customers,” she teases. He glances back towards the door to where Matteo is standing in the deepening light of dusk, running his fingers through his hair and making it do  _ the thing. _ David’s breath catches in his throat again. Behind him, Sonja laughs.

“Well, good luck,” she says. “Maybe come back when he comes to collect it, and don’t be such a stranger.”

With a final hug, David pushes at her shoulder then makes his own way to the door. Matteo catches his eyes through the window and the smile that lights his face when their eyes meet makes David smile in response. He’s fucked, Sonja’s right about that. But he’s not complaining.

_ Matteo _

David steps out of the shop, his eyes lit up in a glorious smile and Matteo is hard pressed to keep his own face smooth. It was hard, when it came down to it, for him to leave the ring behind. As much as he wants to say  _ fuck you _ to his father, the connection, the ties to his family have started to feel important. There’s something pressing in on Matteo with how essential those ties between people can be. He knows he needs the money, and yet the idea of parting with the ring is difficult. So he’s feeling awkward and out of sorts. Knows he really has to sell it, but not wanting to part with it.

Still. There’s something in the quality of David’s smile that makes Matteo incapable of staying wrapped in that sort of mood. It is just a valuation, after all. And that can never hurt. He can feel the stretch of his lips as he fights against the smile that nonetheless creeps onto his face. David’s chill presence has that effect on him. He smiles more when he thinks of David than he has for most of his adult life. Most of his teenage life, if he’s been entirely honest.

“Should we go?” David asks, tilting his head and with his eyes sweeping over Matteo’s body. There’s purpose in that look and Matteo can feel the flush flooding through him. From his head all the way down to his toes, that look makes him warm.

“Sure,” Matteo says, feeling light and carefree for once. Deciding to allow himself to enjoy this whatever-it-is that’s happening with David, here and now. “I’d kill for a coffee … literally.” 

The look David gives him, fond and exasperated, makes Matteo’s heart speed up. He really is just like a teenager with a crush. Only, this crush is looking back. Matteo is almost certain now that David is interested too. And there’s a definite flirty feel to the way he tilts his head and asks, “you’d  _ literally _ kill someone? Just for coffee?”

“Maybe not,” Matteo agrees, glancing sideways at David’s profile, unable to keep his eyes away from the sweep of the jaw or the way his lips always seem tilted up into a smile. “But it’d be a close run thing.”

“Mmmm, okay,” David says. For one dizzying moment it seems like his hand twitches in the direction of Matteo’s, and his heart stops at the thought that David might  _ want _ to hold it, but then it jerks back and David clears his throat. “That sounds like we should go find something caffeinated. To be sure I’m safe from your murderous impulses.”

They set off, and all the tension that had been sitting in Matteo’s bones on the way to the small store has dissipated. In its place is a new awareness. It’s shared glances and lightly brushing fingers as they walk back towards the market. It’s a smile reflected tenfold in David’s eyes, and voices that go soft no matter what they are saying. It’s laughter and ‘fuck you’ when Matteo can’t contain himself and attempts to sweep David’s feet from under him. It’s freedom and energy, and Matteo is so close to being sure that something is happening here.

They wander through the stalls, turning wares over in their hands, bartering with the sellers and occasionally buying something. The market is lit up, the stalls surrounded by fairy lights, some in multiple colors, others just plain white, but all flashing in various patterns. Together, they create a magical effect twinkling in the darkening twilight, and Matteo can feel himself relaxing as they walk, looking at all the different things for sale. Matteo has a warm cup of coffee and is content to sip on it while David haggles with someone over the price of a bracelet. 

David, Matteo notices, is fascinated by jewellery. Any sort. From the leather and bead things Matteo had pointed out when they met to the weird and often beautiful hand crafted pieces. His fingers linger over the rough edges, drift across the soft fabrics in between each one. He hums with satisfaction when he sees a particularly interesting piece.

“You really like jewellery, don’t you?” Matteo asks quietly once they move from one stall at which David has lingered.

David’s eyes flick towards him and he smiles, a small pensive one very unlike his usual vibrant, wide effusive grin. He shrugs. “There’s something fascinating in a well crafted piece,” he says. “It leaves traces of the person who made it. It has personality.”

“Like art,” Matteo says, his hand reaching out to hover over the dark, slashed lines of a small canvas at the next stall. It’s angry and aggressive, with something melancholy chasing under that anger, coming out in the dulled colors. It calls to something inside Matteo.

“Yeah, like art,” David says, smiling a little sadly as he looks at the paintings here. “You know, I thought working in a real store with real jewellery would be perfect.”

“But it’s not?”

“No.” He smiles sideways at Matteo. “It doesn’t have the same personality. Not unless it’s something like your ring. With a story.” He looks pensive as he adds, “some days I think I should beg Sonja for a job; her shop is far more my style.”

Shaking himself, visibly pushing his melancholy away, he turns towards Matteo. The simmering tension that’s been building ever since Matteo made himself leave the ring behind at Sonja’s store is flickering wildly now. All the small glances and the casual touches have lit up every pore in Matteo’s body. So it’s with a sense of inevitability that he feels David’s fingers slide onto his hand and curl into the gaps between his own.

Sucking in a deep breath, Matteo looks at David. He’s now intently examining the wares at a nearby stall, small utilitarian wooden objects that don’t warrant such intense scrutiny. As Matteo settles his fingers carefully, taking a firmer grip on David’s hand, he can see spots of red rising into David’s cheeks even as he keeps his gaze on the wood.

It’s nice, this feeling that  _ finally _ Matteo is getting what he wants. It hasn’t even been that long, but since the moment he saw David Matteo has been  _ wanting. _ It’s not something he can articulate very well, that want, but here and now with David’s hand warm and vibrant and alive in his own, Matteo feels like it’s becoming clearer. 

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asks. “Go somewhere quieter?”

David’s eyes, when he looks back at Matteo, are filled with a wary hope. It’s a look that Matteo is sure is reflected in his own eyes.

“Yeah,” David says. His fingers twitch in Matteo’s and together it all feels like a promise, like the start of something.


	5. “Are you sure that’s the decision you want to make?”

_ Matteo _

It’s several long days between their date at the market and the time when Matteo is able to see David again. They’re both working, their hours incompatible, and the dizzying promise that had ended their time together that day stretches thin as the days pass. On the plus side, when they’d separated after the market David had squeezed Matteo’s hand and pressed a tiny kiss to his cheek, one that had left his chest warm and his knees weak. 

And, stupid as it was, that has been enough to sustain Matteo through these days of separation. There have also been texts, messages filled with memes, jokes, stupid thoughts. Any thought that this is just a customer service thing have long gone. But despite the hand holding and the cheek kissing, Matteo still isn’t exactly sure what David wants. Nothing in the messages has suggested anything more than friendship, so while the memory of that kiss is still fresh on his skin, Matteo wants more. Wants to stop hoping. Wants to  _ know. _

_ Ring’s been valued, _ he sends to David once he’s heard from Sonja again. This is a safe way to see David again. Gives them both an out if either of them  _ (David …) _ has changed his mind about what happened at the market.  _ Want to go with me to pick it up? _

_ Definitely, _ David sends back.  _ Sonja would kill me if I didn’t. _

_ Can’t have that, _ Matteo responds, smiling at his phone as if David can see him.  _ I’m the only one allowed to murder you. _

He gets an irritated eyeroll emoji back and grins. Making David groan fondly has rapidly become one of Matteo’s favorite things, and he can  _ hear _ that groan in the speed with which that message flies back.

_ I’m going in this afternoon. About 4. _

David’s agreement to the time is swift, along with another suggestion to meet at the market, and Matteo once again feels the dizzy happiness that  _ he _ might want to see Matteo again as much as Matteo wants to see him. That the imposed separation has been just as hard for him. 

He’s pacing while he waits for David to appear, nerves getting the better of him. He’s nervous both to see how David will act when they meet again and because he’s scared that whatever he hears about the ring will be something that will be difficult to hear. He snorts softly to himself, amused at his own wavering. Part of him wants it to be worth so much that it really would be an effective way to say ‘fuck you’ to his father. The other part of him wants to keep it, and hopes it’s worth nothing other than sentiment.

Matteo checks his phone for roughly the hundredth time since he got here. David’s late. Again. The thought sets Matteo’s feet into their anxious pacing again, and he decides to buy a coffee, partly to pass the time and partly to have something to do with his hands and feet to stop this impatient nervous stress. He’s just paid and stepped to the side to wait while they make it when he feels hands over his eyes and smells a familiar scent. He grins, turns towards David.

“Couldn’t wait for me, huh?” David teases.

Matteo shrugs, grins. “Well if you’re going to be late you have to expect these things.” He nods towards the coffee stand. “Just trying to stave off my murderous impulses for your benefit.”

David gives him what Matteo is starting to think of as his look, the fondly amused and yet exasperated one. It makes him smile fondly in his own turn, feeling lighter. There’s all sorts of promise in that look, and his body relaxes as he realizes that David’s going to pick up pretty much where they left off. That there’s still the same frisson there between them, the same giddy sense of promise and a future.

His order is called, so he takes the coffee that’s proferred to him then and falls into step beside David as they make their way back to Sonja’s store. This time the journey is filled with an ease that wasn’t present last time. There’s no hand holding, but their shoulders bump as they walk and their laughter rings out as they push open the door.

“My favorite customer!” Sonja calls when she sees them.

“Always happy to help,” David says, giving an exaggerated bow, and she gives him a fake scowl.

“I wasn’t talking about you,” she retorts, pushing him aside and smiling at Matteo. “Matteo, owner of my whole entire heart,” she starts again, “this ring is the single best thing that’s come my way in a very long time.”

He blinks at her, unsure what she means. She grins at him, and grabs a piece of paper with similarly incomprehensible writing on it as the one David had shown him all those long days ago. Matteo looks at it, frowning, not sure what he’s supposed to be seeing, and she laughs. 

“There.” She points to a figure, one which makes his eyes widen and his mouth drop open. It’s a lot bigger than he’d expected. Not as big as the one his father always bandied about when he boasted about the ring and its worth, of course, but big enough. It would definitely help in a lot of ways.

“Wow,” he says, staring at the paper. “That’s … wow.”

Sonja nods when he looks back up at her. “So,” she says quietly. “You want me to sell it for you?”

“I … yeah,” Matteo says, looking back at the number with a lump rising in his throat. It’s so much money that the obvious answer is a no brainer. “I guess I should.”

“Are you sure that’s the decision you want to make?” David asks, coming up beside him and pressing a gentle hand to his back. “No offence, but you don’t seem all that enthusiastic.”

Matteo draws in a shaky breath and smiles at him, his body attuned to the warmth bleeding through from David’s fingers where they linger on the small of his back. “Honestly? I don’t know. My mother managed to find some other funding, and it’s just enough for her treatment … if we’re careful, anyway.” He sighs, looking back at the paper again. “I feel like I should do this. But …”

“But you don’t really want to?” Sonja cuts in gently. “It was already kind of obvious when you were here before.”

Matteo can sense her disappointment, and he feels guilty. It might be his ring, but he can tell how much care both David and Sonja have for it, for this job. How much they both want to see this through to a conclusion. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to go to this trouble just for me to be such a dick about it.”

Sonja smiles, gently. “Hey, no,” she says. “It’s no trouble. And anyway,” she says, grinning at him again, “you’re paying for the valuation. So I already win.”

Beside him, David laughs. “If you still want to use it to say ‘fuck you’ and get your revenge on your dad, you can always tell him it’s a fake. Just maybe leave out the bit where it’s still worth quite a bit.”

Matteo can feel something unclench from around his heart. He smiles back. “That’s true. There’s more than one way to say ‘fuck you’ to someone.”

  
  


_ David _

David watches as Matteo blows a final breath out and looks up at Sonja. He runs his fingers through his hair again, the habit such an integral part of how david sees him that it sets a familiar ache into his chest. It’s obvious Matteo’s torn about what to do, unsure that his decision really is the right one, and yet he seems lighter somehow when he reaches out and picks the ring box up gently and places it in his pocket. He takes the piece of paper with the valuation on it and runs his fingers over it, hesitating over the number printed in bold type. His eyes roam the paper, coming to rest again and again on that number, clearly weighing it up, making sure. It’s so Matteo that David can’t keep the small smile off his own face. Then, with a firm and hurried movement, he folds it into a tiny square and shoves in the same pocket as the ring.

“You okay?” David asks quietly and Matteo nods, turning his head to smile over at him.

“Yeah,” he says, with a glance back at Sonja, and a nod of acknowledgement. “I can always bring it in if it turns out I need to sell it.”

“That’s true,” she agrees with another of her famous smiles. David can tell that she likes Matteo by the way she does that. It’s genuine, this smile, not her usual service facade. David can’t blame her; he likes Matteo a lot too. There’s something appealing about the vulnerability and sensitivity he often shows when combined with the cheeky impulsiveness that comes out when he’s relaxed. The initial pull he’d felt is nothing compared to what he feels now; sometimes David wonders what it might be like once they’ve known each other even longer.

They say a cheery goodbye to Sonja and head out of the store, walking slowly with no real destination in mind. David swears to himself that he won’t leave it months again before he returns to see Sonja; he’d forgotten how much he likes her, and he misses the way she talks, the passion she has for her job. Still, he’s not all that desperate to keep thinking about her. No. He has Matteo by his side, and now that the entire ring business is over there’s no customer thing between them anymore. Nothing to stop him from doing what he’s wanted to almost since the day he met Matteo.

“So,” he says, stopping them in their tracks and turning to look at Matteo. “What do you want to do?”

A tiny smile flickers in the corners of Matteo’s mouth, warming David. He may not have known Matteo for long, but he’s learned how to read him, at least in this way. That’s his ‘I’m happy but I don’t want to show it’ smile. The one he wears when things are truly getting to him, in a good way. It’s a good sign, David thinks, that he’s wearing that look when David is asking to stay with him for a while longer. The smile soon disappears into a solemn look as Matteo pretends to think carefully.

“I think I might go home and admire this very expensive ring I’m the proud owner of,” he says.

David rolls his eyes and bumps his shoulder. “If you really want to be alone with your ring that much, I probably shouldn’t get in between true love.”

He expects Matteo to laugh, to poke some sort of fun back, to tease and give out some playful banter. Istead, Matteo stills. His eyes become pensive, and the smile is back, but more firmly this time. “Honestly?” he says, his eyes the bluest David has ever seen them. “What I want to do is just something with you.”

His lip is suddenly drawn in between his teeth, and he’s looking away. He’s worried, then, that David doesn’t want the same. It’s adorable, this nervousness and David can’t keep his own grin off his face.

“Okay,” he says softly. “We’ll do that, then. I want that too.”

Matteo’s eyes are suddenly back on him, and the smile this time can’t be contained. It flows over his face, is reflected in his eyes and the lightness of his body. And all David wants is to kiss him. At this point he thinks that his hangup on the last date was ridiculous. It’s not like dating customers is forbidden, even if it’s not strictly encouraged either. And it’s not even like Matteo was still a customer once David was taking him to see Sonja. So it’s taken far too long to get to this point, far too much carefulness and standing back. It’s time to get past all of that.  _ Fuck it, _ David thinks, looking into those eyes, and surges forward.

His lips on Matteo’s. It’s everything he’s dreamed of, the simmering tension between them bursting into joyful life in that moment. His fingers drift of their own accord up to Matteo’s face, and he tilts in so he can deepen the kiss. He feels more than hears Matteo’s humming gasp against his lips and he smiles, breaking the connection.

Their foreheads remain touching, their breaths mingling. David can’t quite remember ever feeling this way. Like he’s floating but grounded all at once. Like he’s filled with the entire world’s riches, but is centred in one small piece of it. He can’t contain his smile, lets his fingers trail up to Matteo’s ear, relishing being able to touch and taste every part of his face this way.

“Wow,” Matteo says, quietly, his own hands resting on David’s neck and sending shivers of delight through him every time they run soft circles.

“Yeah,” David agrees, laughing. “Wow.”

This time when Matteo takes David’s hand and they start to walk, it’s not all about promise and hope, a fragile thing that was easily shattered. This time, it’s about fulfillment and connection. This time, something has started, something solid and real, and David feels all the excitement of that fresh beginning. The saga of Matteo’s ring may be over, but the story of Matteo and David is only just beginning.


	6. “Why can’t you appreciate my sense of humor?”

_ David _

The bell over the store’s door tinkles, alerting David to a new customer entering. It’s instinct now, the way he reacts to that sound. His face settles automatically into its customer service facade, and he straightens his back ready to smile and welcome whoever this is with his best, and most perfectly polite, service voice. Out of the corner of his eye, David can see his coworker grinning and he remembers, relaxing a little.

He’s not in his old shop anymore. He’s not expected to have the same sort of stiff formal approach when talking to customers. In fact, he’s expected rather to be warmer, more open. He’s been working here for the last few weeks but it still hasn’t become second nature to act more naturally, the bell bringing muscle memory in before he can even stop himself. He hears Sonja’s delighted cackle as his body slumps a little, and he huffs his frustration while rolling his eyes at her.

“I can’t get over your face  _ every single time, _ ” she says. “It’s been weeks and you’re still like a dog when its master comes home, all alert and eager to please.” 

She pats his arm, her amusement clear in the ostentatiously condescending nature of the contact. Being here is such a different experience, David thinks as he ducks out of her way and growls his fake irritation. Sonja likes to tease and mess with him. In her own words, ‘a quiet workplace is a boring workplace,’ and so David has to watch out for pranks at strange moments as well as this sort of banter. He loves it. Blows her a kiss through his affectation of a scowl. Her grin widens as she nods towards the door. “Better watch out,” she says, “today’s customer is your boyfriend, and he might get the wrong idea if you keep doing that.”

David’s fake scowl dissipates immediately as he looks up and indeed sees Matteo, grinning his own smug satisfaction at him.

“This reminds me of that first day I met you,” he says, leaning his arms on the counter and bending forward so he can peck David’s cheek. “That serious face, and perfect smile. Do you want to call me ‘sir’ to make it feel like old times?”

“Ass,” David says, returning the kiss but pushing at Matteo’s arm where it’s lying on one of Sonja’s new projects. Matteo glances down at it and pouts as he moves the arm away form her work, and sadly away from David’s. Matteo always hates this, David thinks with a small smirk of his own. He may pretend to be above such things, but Matteo does like to be able to snuggle when he comes in, and Sonja’s projects are the only thing he’s not allowed to mess up. They’re the only thing that gets in the way of their closeness. Well, those and the times when David has to actually work, greeting customers or placing stock carefully on shelves.

Still pouting, Matteo sits down on a stool at the far end of the counter. “Why can’t you appreciate my sense of humor?” he asks, as he leans onto the counter and tilts his head in the way that david knows is an imitation of his own.

David smiles, his fondness bleeding through into the attempt at exasperation. “I do appreciate it,” he says. “In the right place at the right time.”

Matteo pokes his tongue out, making David laugh. It’s always like this, quiet teasing and silliness, and he’s not sure how he could ever have thought of Matteo differently, as the serious guy with the sad eyes and aura of melancholy. That’s not who he truly is inside. 

The store’s bell tinkles again, and once again David’s spine tightens, he drags his eyes immediately away from Matteo’s, and his service smile flicks up and onto his face. He catches it quickly, lets himself relax more naturally, but not before Matteo snorts his amusement from the other end of the counter. David squints back over at him, hoping he can see the frown and will behave. No such luck. Instead, Matteo lounges more firmly against the counter, his eyes alight and the same cheeky grin David fell for on his face. He looks smug, as if he’s waiting to see how David handles whatever he’s about to throw at him. 

David goes through the motions of ascertaining what the customer wants and making sure he knows where in the store to find it before he can give more attention to Matteo and  _ that look. _ Something about the whole situation is prickling his ‘I’m being pranked’ alarm bells, and he squints suspiciously in Matteo’s direction once the man has moved away.

“Those clothes look awfully familiar,” David says, as he makes his way back down the counter to where Matteo is perched. 

“I certainly hope so,” Matteo says with his grin widening. “We’ve been living in the same place for a while now. I’d say you weren’t doing your share of the laundry if they didn’t.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” David says, sure now that something is going on. “That’s exactly what you were wearing that very first day I met you.”

Matteo shrugs, seemingly unconcerned on the outside, but David knows him well enough to know that something really is up. He’s a little too nonchalant in the way he’s poised on the stool and in the way he’s leaning, his body not quite as relaxed as he wants David to believe. 

“I wear the same clothes sometimes, David; that’s a thing you know. We can’t all be like you with your huge range of clothes.”

He’s teasing, his voice soft and loving as he says it. Because it’s a standing joke among all their friends that David only wears black or Matteo’s clothes, and Matteo knows saying this will get him an exasperated loving glance. Still, David refuses to be put off. He carefully moves Sonja’s precious project to the side and picks up his cloth to dust. 

The store is one of those places that seems to pick up dust just by existing, and a sunny warm bar of light highlights every mote in the air. It’s part of what gives the store its lived in and comfortable feeling, but it does mean that david is almost constantly dusting to try to keep it somewhat pleasant for the customers. It doesn’t really need a proper dusting today, but the cloth gives him something to do while he examines Matteo and it’s something he’s done so often that Matteo won’t be suspicious when he sees it happening. 

From under lowered lashes, David watches as Matteo’s eyes dart towards Sonja and one lip quirks up at the side as he licks them nervously. David can see her face from where he’s standing and she’s got a fond, exasperated expression around her eyes. She nods, tips her chin in David’s direction, and Matteo takes a breath and turns back towards David. Through the stirred up dust, he looks almost angelic as his face slides from cheeky amusement into something more serious. David looks down at the counter briefly, trying to compose himself; Matteo’s face like  _ that _ always has this effect on him. He can’t concentrate on anything else if he’s looking at Matteo when he’s focused in that particular way.

“The diamond in your engagement ring is fake,” Matteo says softly, drawing David’s eyes back to him.

“Excuse me?” David says, letting the cloth fall onto the counter as he takes in Matteo, holding out a battered old leather ring case, not quite down on one knee, but definitely not lounging anymore either.

  
  


_ Matteo _

“I said, the diamond in your engagement ring is fake,” Matteo repeats. His heart is hammering, even though he knows David’s going to agree. They’ve even talked about this and about how long they’d wait before one or the other would do this. But Matteo can’t wait; once he’d had the idea he couldn’t see himself doing it on any day other than this one, exactly one year since David said those words to him.

Even so, even though he knows with every atom in his body that David is on the same page, the entire world slows down after he says the words. Matteo watches as David’s face shifts through a series of complicated expressions, his lips pressing together in his startlement and his eyes widening, the lashes framing them flickering up with his surprise.

“I don’t have …” David starts, and then his face flushes, red staining his cheeks, and his breath sucking in while his eyes widen as he  _ gets it. _ “You ass. That’s my line.” 

David’s voice is wobbly with emotion, though, and Matteo grins, relief flooding his body and leaving him almost weak with it. “I know, but I always wanted to say it. Anyway,” he adds, shaking the box. “You do have an engagement ring. If … if you want it.”

The fondest, most loving expression crosses David’s face, softening his features into something almost boyish, and Matteo’s heart leaps as he reaches out to touch the box gently. “Is that …?”

“Yeah,” Matteo says, opening it to show him. The ring lies there, glowing innocently exactly as it did a year ago when David had told Matteo the news and his heart had sunk into his shoes at the thought that he couldn’t help his mother out, after all. “It’s my dad’s ring.” 

What better revenge could Matteo get on his father, after all, than using it for this? Being happy with it, not as an object of value and something to be paraded about as a sign of family honor, but as a sign of his love. He’s been happier than he’d ever dreamed possible since he decided not to sell it, so why not gift it to the person who helped make that true?

“So,” Matteo says, wanting to hear an actual answer now. Even though he can see it in the flush on David’s cheeks, the tremble in his hand and the joy in those gorgeous brown eyes, he needs to hear it out loud. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” David says. “Of course I will.”

His discarded dusting cloth is lying on the counter, forgotten, and he stares at Matteo as if he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing and what he’s just said. For some reason, Matteo is fixated on that cloth, and on the hand that sits quietly next to it, the hand that should by rights have a ring on it right now.

Matteo reaches out and picks it up, notices the shake in his own hand as he wrestles the ring from the box and holds it out with a questioning quirk of his brow. David nods, so matteo carefully and gently pushes the ring onto his finger. It’s not quite the right fit, sits a little loosely as it slides down. David curls his hand over to keep it in place, looks at it for a long moment and then glances up at Matteo with a smile. It’s not his usual grin, not the normal fondly amused or exasperated look. It’s filled with an honest, pure love, and Matteo’s breath catches in his throat.

“Do you think maybe you could come over here so I can kiss you properly?” Matteo asks. He can hear the emotion in his own voice, and winces as he notices Sonja’s cackle behind them. She’s enjoying this, enjoying their less-than-perfect conversation. David hears her too and his eyes narrow a little as he looks over at her for a moment. Matteo looks her way as well, sees the way she’s trying to hold her own emotions in and lets out a breath. David steps out and around to where Matteo is standing.

“I feel like this was a bit of a set up,” he says as he reaches Matteo, nodding over at Sonja as he wraps his arms around Matteo’s waist.

“Mmmm, I might have had a little help in getting everything exactly right,” Matteo admits, propping his own hands up onto David’s shoulders and smiling. 

He’s not going to admit to it all, at least not yet. Not to the fact that he did dig out the exact clothes he was wearing that day they met, nor to the fact that he’d had Sonja precisely timing his entrance so that he could say the words at the exact moment David had said them a year ago. He’s not willing to admit to being  _ that _ sappy, not yet. It’s one thing to be this way, it’s quite another to be open and naked with that truth. He thinks David might get it anyway, if the small huff of laughter he gives is any indication.

David’s nose is running up and along his own, sending sparks down his spine. It’s something Matteo’s become used to over the last almost-year they’ve been together, but it’s different now because they’re officially engaged now. That’s a whole new world of things opening up for them, and Matteo sighs in happiness as he tilts his head up and David finally,  _ finally _ presses his lips to Matteo’s.

“I love you,” David says when they finally part. 

Matteo may have heard those words a hundred times before this, he may have known deep in his bones that it’s true, and yet hearing them today feels different, feels bigger somehow. He runs his own nose along David’s, listening for the inevitable small gasp David makes when he does it. It’s these things, the small things, that matter most and Matteo sighs into another kiss.

“I love you too,” he says when they part again, letting his fingers feel the ring where it sits on David’s hand. “Who’d have thought this little thing would bring us here like this.”

“Yeah,” David agrees, grinning as he takes matteo’s hand, pressing the warm band of the rings against his own fingers. “Who’d have thought that awkward man with the fake ring would be the one to propose to me?”

Rolling his eyes, Matteo quiets him with another kiss. This is what he’s always wanted, and in some ways he wants to thank his father; if it hadn’t been for his obsession with the ring Matteo would never have found David and never have found this. It seems like revenge can be sweet, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end of this little fic that grew out of some tumblr prompts. Comments are always appreciated, or you can come and chat with me over on my tumblr [@evakuality](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/evakuality)   
I am also looking for a beta reader if anyone wants to do something like that. Generally I need someone who can point out inconsistencies in the fic, or in characterisation and can pick up typos and other little proofreading things. If you want to help me out, then let me know over on tumblr <3333


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